John Deere vs Cat

I have demoed both machines, the 755K and the 63d. Does anyone have any imput on this subject.

I guess I'll ask what you thought after running both?

I'm not one sided on brands, I prefer deere excavators, backhoes and small dozers, and cat dozers d6 and bigger, and defiantly cat track loaders. If you can buy a 963d as easy as a 755 I would buy the 63 and be done with it.

ARE YOU SURE YOU want a TIER 4 ENGINE ? THERES BUNCHES OF THEM FOR SALE EVERYWHERE bet its for a reason. you have to run the additive in the exhaust system and its expensive. my trucker buddys are peeing in that tank because there tired of buying that hi-dollar additive. plus all the exhaust components are super high. on a semi truck to do the complete exhaust system its right at 6-7k. and the computer wont let the engine run unless it has the complete system in tact...

I have also been down the road on Tier 4, farm equipment is headed that way but the machines sit on dealer lots while the farmers rebuild old machines to keep away from Urea. Trucking companies do not seem to mind the urea as much as the added maintenance it calls for so most are more often turning over running stock to stay ahead of the curve. One dump truck service by us swaps machines on a two year agreement so he does not have to pay the costs for converters or the DEF injection systems, any machine that requires repairs is either still under warranty or leaves directly after.
Is a slight misconception for urea, it only is injected into the flue gas stream at levels required to keep the SCR converter media functioning(determined by heat sensor), under full load conditions little is directed, slobbering no load or light load a lot is used. Many have found electronics hacks that have developed software and know the hardware to eliminate the stuff while removing the cats, works fine until time to trade in or drive into CA. Fuel economy is somewhat better than T3 engines but not considerable enough to warrant the extra costs involved and urea used.

Well said dmiller

sewerrattkc1997 said:

I have demoed both machines, the 755K and the 63d. Does anyone have any imput on this subject.

Click to expand...

The 756K is a nice loader, John Deere took their time working on it and they did a pretty good job. I have a fair bit of time in track loaders, I wasn't the greatest fan of the 755K but mostly for the same reasons I have never liked 963's.

The 963D is great for hydraulic speed, cab layout, power and visibility. For water/sewer backfill I prefer Cat track loaders. They multi function a little better with the loader and the bucket dumps further making it nicer for raking material to dry it.

The 755K has by far a better drivetrain than the Cat. They turn better, travel better and burns less fuel doing it. The loader is a touch slower than the cat but has more grunt to it. If I was lot grading, stumping or loading trucks I'd probably take the Deere. Service is also top notch on the Deere. Everything is at ground level and in one spot which is nice. I find the Deere also likes cold climate better than the Cats.

The 755K I had was one of the early units and worked in extremely cold temperatures. I've since had a newer machine and honestly liked it much better. The 963D's I've run have been high hour units and had the usual Cat track loader issues with those hours. They're both stellar machines and you'd be happy with either one.

Which did you prefer? What's your application for this machine?

Burnout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXZEPnhsG38

Burnout said:

The 756K is a nice loader, John Deere took their time working on it and they did a pretty good job. I have a fair bit of time in track loaders, I wasn't the greatest fan of the 755K but mostly for the same reasons I have never liked 963's.

The 963D is great for hydraulic speed, cab layout, power and visibility. For water/sewer backfill I prefer Cat track loaders. They multi function a little better with the loader and the bucket dumps further making it nicer for raking material to dry it.

The 755K has by far a better drivetrain than the Cat. They turn better, travel better and burns less fuel doing it. The loader is a touch slower than the cat but has more grunt to it. If I was lot grading, stumping or loading trucks I'd probably take the Deere. Service is also top notch on the Deere. Everything is at ground level and in one spot which is nice. I find the Deere also likes cold climate better than the Cats.

The 755K I had was one of the early units and worked in extremely cold temperatures. I've since had a newer machine and honestly liked it much better. The 963D's I've run have been high hour units and had the usual Cat track loader issues with those hours. They're both stellar machines and you'd be happy with either one.

Which did you prefer? What's your application for this machine?

Burnout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXZEPnhsG38

Click to expand...

Question Sir; does your above opinion apply to the Navy model 855 as well?

Burnout said:

The 756K is a nice loader, John Deere took their time working on it and they did a pretty good job. I have a fair bit of time in track loaders, I wasn't the greatest fan of the 755K but mostly for the same reasons I have never liked 963's.

The 963D is great for hydraulic speed, cab layout, power and visibility. For water/sewer backfill I prefer Cat track loaders. They multi function a little better with the loader and the bucket dumps further making it nicer for raking material to dry it.

The 755K has by far a better drivetrain than the Cat. They turn better, travel better and burns less fuel doing it. The loader is a touch slower than the cat but has more grunt to it. If I was lot grading, stumping or loading trucks I'd probably take the Deere. Service is also top notch on the Deere. Everything is at ground level and in one spot which is nice. I find the Deere also likes cold climate better than the Cats.

The 755K I had was one of the early units and worked in extremely cold temperatures. I've since had a newer machine and honestly liked it much better. The 963D's I've run have been high hour units and had the usual Cat track loader issues with those hours. They're both stellar machines and you'd be happy with either one.

Which did you prefer? What's your application for this machine?

Burnout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXZEPnhsG38

Click to expand...

I have also put on hundreds of hours on both machines. Last year i was running a 963D, and this year a new 755k. I have a few comparisons.

Balance, i found that the 963 had better balance then the 755k. Although we are comparing, 963 with a bumper, and 755k with a ripper.

Power, very comparable between the two, no difference there.

Fuel Consumption, i find that the 963 was better on fuel in a wide array of tasks from day to day clean ups and down to the excavation. This could also be on fuel tank size.

Turning, like stated above, the 755k beats the CAT in this one, very easy to turn, and smooth turning.

Cab, 755k has absolutely no where to put your hard hat, no storage compartments, just a useless cup holder, and a little tray behind your left elbow, a dinky little square mirror only over your right shoulder. It's quiet though. 963d has storage compartments, the front bar you could slip your hardhat into and it held it perfect, easier to get in and out of the cab, a long convex mirror to see over both shoulders.

Hydraulics, the CAT feels a lot smoother operation, the john deere bucket drops fairly fast. The tilt ram on the john deere is a massive cylinder, very strong tilt on it i do like that.

Speed Control, The john deere has a higher variable range, better speed control ultimately, but the button to change your range is totally out of the way on the control panel so you have to move your hand off the bucket joystick to change your ratio. The cat is a toggle switch turtle and rabbit, john deere is a + and - button from 1.0 to 3.0 so totally variable, an example is 1.5 or 2.3 or anything in between 1 and 3.

Noise Level, the engine on the John Deere is amazingly quiet, very quiet in comparison to the CAT, the undercarriage on the other hand is the opposite, the john deere is very loud especially in reverse, the CAT is quieter in that aspect. This may not effect some but i work in populated areas and we have noise bans before 7am.

Maintenance, greasing is easy on both machines, each one has it's own different pain. The john deere has 1 grease zerk on the Z bar linkage that is hidden, and covered and way in the back when the bucket is flat on the ground, it is a pain to get to, if you have a barrel on you i doubt you'll reach it. The cat has the front idler grease points on the inside of the undercarriage that you gotta climb underneath it and get them with a pick to get the dirt out from around the nipple. The Cat was nice, it had a spot for your grease gun to hang on the one door panel, all the oil levels were on one side so no need to open multiple doors. I don't know if its just my 755k but there is two hoses bolted right above the dip stick that really are in the way, you can still check your oil easily, it's just a pain and people who are careless will probably bend the dipstick inserting it back into the tube.

Problems, the only problem we had on the 963D in 2000 hours were with the arm rest switch, it locked up on us when we were loading it on the landall half way up. The John Deere only had one problem with the oil fill cap being a pain in the arse to get seated right, and once it spit oil everywhere.

Buckets, I'm sure you can get different buckets for both but i like and dislike both buckets, the john deere has a flat bottom bucket, and lowered teeth, the fat bottom bucket, with the straight edge on the back is great for back dragging to level off and make a smooth finish without teeth marks. The teeth on the bucket were a steep learning curve in comparison to the 963's.

These are some of the differences i've found between the two machines that i've used.